The sixgun is a revolver pistol having a rotating cylinder capable of carrying six rounds. Probably the most popular sixgun is the Colt Single Action Army (also known as the Colt Peacemaker), chambered in a .45 Long Colt caliber cartridge.

These types of guns were commonly carried by Old West cowboys and gunfighters, but were made popular in movies and entertainment by people like John Wayne and Clint Eastwood. In western movies, one can typically see these guns (pictured as single action revolvers) being shot from the hip, having their hammers "fanned" to increase the fire rate; however, there were actually a lot more double action revolvers in the Old West than have been pictured in Hollywood movies.

An original Colt Single Action Army in decent condition can fetch a very fair price from a pistol or gun enthusiast.

Eli Wallach's character "Tuco The Rat" in The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly constructed his own sixgun from various parts of other pistols in the movie.